NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on Wednesday for allies to approve a project to coordinate military aid and training for Ukraine in defence against the Russian invasion.
Speaking ahead of a two-day meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels, Stoltenberg called for allies to "approve a plan for NATO to lead the coordination of security assistance and training to Ukraine."
The project is a major part of defence package for Ukraine that the 32-member alliance wants to approve at a leaders summit in Washington in July.
There is also talks ongoing between allies to seal a commitment to long-term financial support to Ukraine. Stoltenberg said previously that €40 billion ($43 billion) is needed each year for Ukraine at a minimum.
The NATO secretary general said he expects defence ministers in the alliance to approve the training and support project on Friday.
Ahead of the meeting, Stoltenberg secured an agreement from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán that he will not block the NATO initiative from going ahead.
Orbán in exchange was assured that Hungary would not have to take part or finance the project.
Ahead of Thursday's defence ministers meeting, NATO agreed a new name for the project. Instead of NATO Mission Ukraine (NMU), the initiative is to be called NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU).
Diplomats have told dpa that the new name is being seen as a victory for Germany, because it clarifies the mission is about support and training activities.
Most allies had backed the name NATO Mission Ukraine, but the German government argued that this could be misinterpreted to mean the alliance intended to send troops to Ukraine, and might be used by Russia for propaganda against the alliance.
Other allies argued that the Kremlin would condemn the NATO project in its propaganda whatever it was called.
NSATU's role will primarily be the international coordination of arms deliveries and training activities for the Ukrainian armed forces.
It is also viewed as a precautionary measure in the event that Donald Trump returns to the US presidency in January 2025.
Statements made by the former US president in the past have raised doubts as to whether the United States will continue to support Ukraine under his leadership.
There are fears within the alliance that a change of policy in Washington would affect the coordination of weapons deliveries and training activities for the Ukrainian armed forces.
This task has so far been carried out by the US. At the end of 2022, they set up a unit of around 300 soldiers called the Security Assistance Group-Ukraine (SAG-U) at the European headquarters of the US armed forces in Wiesbaden in Germany.
The NATO mission will now have roughly the same number of personnel.
Stoltenberg shied away from the description of the NATO mission being an attempt to "Trump proof" western support for Ukraine. Instead, he described it as means to make pledges of military aid for Ukraine "more reliable."
The secretary general pointed out that "the United States spent six months agreeing a supplement for Ukraine," and highlighted that European allies have also failed in delivering on their commitments.